DIY sandbox with lid

Playing in the sandbox is a favorite pastime for all kids. As soon as the beloved child began to walk independently, the mother buys him shovels, forms for Easter cakes, and takes him out to play in the yard. However, such summer fun can be spoiled by an unpleasant moment. Public sandboxes are not covered with anything; this makes them the object of attention of yard animals, where they arrange a toilet. It is clear that it is difficult to solve this problem in playgrounds located among apartment buildings. But if children’s entertainment is set up in a private courtyard, then the best option would be a children’s sandbox with a lid that protects the sand from uninvited guests.

Variety of sandboxes with a lid

It is not so difficult to build children’s sandboxes with a lid with your own hands. In extreme cases, you can give preference to the store model. With self-manufacturing, the most popular is a wooden structure. Natural material lends itself well to processing. Usually, a sandbox is made of a rectangular shape, and a shield is knocked down from the boards as a cover. Parents who do not like to dwell on standard solutions build a structure in the form of a car, a boat or a fairy-tale character. Even the lid on the sandbox is difficult to make. The shield is assembled from separate segments fastened with loops. When opening such a cover, two comfortable benches with a back are obtained.

Quite simply, a child can organize a sandbox from old tires. To do this, they take one large tire, cut a strip from the side to the tread itself, and the resulting box is covered with sand. From small tires, sandboxes are obtained in the form of flowers or other unusual shapes. For their manufacture, tires are cut into two or three segments, after which they are sewn together with wire, sometimes bolted together. A tarpaulin usually serves as a lid for such sandboxes.

Shop plastic sandbox attracts children with bright colors. There are solid bowls and collapsible designs of different sizes. The first type of sandbox is usually made in the form of animals and other representatives of the fauna. For example, a product in the form of a turtle or a ladybug is very convenient to use. The lower part of the body serves as a container for sand, and an excellent cover is obtained from the shell. Collapsible sandboxes consist of separate modules, which allows you to assemble a box of the desired size and shape. Typically, such structures are sold without a bottom and a lid, but can be equipped with a tarpaulin.

Where is the best place to install a children’s sandbox with a lid?

Just because a sandbox has a lid, even if it has a roof, doesn’t mean it can be installed anywhere in the yard. A playground made in the yard should be located in a place that is clearly visible, but not very windy. Otherwise, the sand will constantly fly into the child’s eyes. It is optimal to arrange a children’s sandbox with a transforming lid so that part of it is illuminated by the sun, and the second half is shaded. Such a place happens near a sprawling tree or a tall building. If a children’s sandbox with a lid can only be installed in a sunny area, you will have to take care of the construction of a canopy.

Choosing material for assembling a children’s sandbox with a transforming lid

Today we will look at how a sandbox with a bench lid is made with our own hands, consider a drawing of important nodes in the photo, but first let’s talk about choosing the right materials.

Let’s start with the box and lid. It is impossible to make a similar design for children from plastic. There are options from PET bottles, old plastic window sills and other rubbish, but a child is unlikely to like such a sandbox. As for tires, this is a good option. However, organizing normal benches with a back, transforming into a lid, will not work due to the irregular shape of the sandbox. We need a rectangular box, and make it better from the board. The blanks are ideally suited for price and quality from pine. Planks made of oak or larch will last longer, but their cost is higher, and hardwood is more difficult to process.

When building a children’s sandbox with a lid, you will need a piece of moisture-resistant, but porous material. For these purposes, agrofibre or geotextiles are suitable. The material separates the soil from the sand, preventing them from mixing. The porous structure will let moisture into the soil. Thanks to the material, weeds will not grow in the middle of the sand, and earthworms will not crawl out of the ground.

It is important to pay attention to the quality of the filler. The ideal option is sand sold in the store. He went through several stages of cleaning and processing, up to grinding the sharp corners of the grains of sand. Such a filler is ideal for plastic sandboxes, as it does not scratch the walls of the box. When buying sand, it is advisable to look at the documents indicating the origin of the goods. Better yet, open the bag and feel the contents. High-quality sand is characterized by excellent flowability, has one shade and does not stick to dry palms.

A do-it-yourself children’s sandbox made from boards in a suburban area is usually filled with quarry or river sand. Previously, it is sifted from stones, as well as various debris. If the sand contains a lot of dust impurities, it will constantly stick to the child’s hands and stain his clothes. Before use, such a filler must be washed with water, and then dried well.

We draw up a detailed diagram of a children’s sandbox with a lid

The scheme of a sandbox with a lid is not so complicated as to develop a detailed project during its construction. Craftsmen often adjust the dimensions of all blanks during the assembly process. It will be difficult for a parent building a children’s structure for the first time, therefore, for review, we suggest looking at the drawings of the box and the folding cover of the bench.

First, in the photo, consider the diagram of the sandbox itself. Let’s take the classic version of 1,5×1,5 m as a basis. This sandbox is enough for three children to play. It is optimal to make the height of the sides of the box about 30 cm. It can be a little higher or lower, the main thing is that the child can easily step over the fence.

When determining the height of the sides, it is important to remember that the lid of the children’s sandbox will be laid out into two benches. An optimal distance is provided between the seat and the filler so that the child can comfortably hang the legs.

Next, consider the lid of the children’s sandbox, which folds out into two benches. The photo shows the layout of the structure in the unfolded form. The cover consists of two halves, each of which has three independent elements. Dimensions are selected exclusively for a box with dimensions of 1,5×1,5 m.

In the photo, the number 4 indicates the box. We know its dimensions. The number 3 indicates the bench seat with a width of 17,5 cm. There are two such elements on the bench. The back of the bench, which is the third module of the folding cover, is indicated by the number 5. Its width is 40 cm. The numbers 2 and 6 indicate the back stops, the latter additionally playing the role of handrails. The number 1 indicates the loops connecting the folding modules. The element under the number 3 is fixed, and is fixed thoroughly to the sides of the box.

The procedure for making a sandbox with a lid

Now, for a visual acquaintance with the manufacture of a children’s sandbox, an instruction with a phased assembly of all elements will be offered. All actions are accompanied by a photo describing the work being done.

So, armed with a tool, we proceed to the construction of a children’s sandbox with a folding lid:

• On the selected site for the construction of a children’s sandbox, markings are applied. Since the box has a square shape, it is better to determine the boundaries of the structure with stakes driven into the ground. It is enough to place four of them in the corners, and pull the cord between them. Using a tape measure or an ordinary non-stretching rope, measure out the same diagonals between opposite corners to make an even square.

  

• With the help of a bayonet and a shovel, a sod layer of soil is removed on the marked area. You should get a square recess up to 30 cm. Removing the sod will prevent the growth of weeds under the bottom of the children’s sandbox, as well as the decay of grass residues.
• The bottom of the dug hole is leveled with a rake. Loose soil is lightly rammed. Next, they make a mixture of sand with gravel or small gravel, after which they pour it on the bottom of the pit with a thickness of 10 cm. Thanks to the drainage layer, rainwater from the sand that accidentally gets into the ground is absorbed. This can happen through a lid that you forgot to close. A similar pillow 50 cm wide can be made around the sandbox. Then after the rain there will be no puddles around the box.

  

• Eight holes are dug around the perimeter of the pit. Four of them are located at the corners, and four more – in the center of the sides. Box racks will be installed here. Pits are dug up to a depth of 40 cm, with a diameter of 15 cm. The bottom of the holes is covered with a similar mixture of sand and gravel 5 cm thick.
• The manufacture of a children’s sandbox begins with the preparation of the bottom of the pit. Previously, it was already covered with a drainage layer, now it is necessary to cover it with geotextiles or dense agrofibre. Sometimes for these purposes they use a black film, perforated with a nail for drainage. You can do it this way, but it’s not the best option. Moisture in cavities without holes will linger, resulting in mold.

  

• The box of the children’s sandbox is made from edged boards. But before that, all workpieces are carefully processed with sandpaper or a grinder. To fasten the boards, you will need eight bars with a section of 5×5 cm and a length of 70 cm. They will make supports at the corners of the box and the center of the sides. The length of the bars is chosen on the basis that 30 cm will go to the connection of the fence boards, and 40 cm will go into the dug holes.
• You can connect boards with bars with nails, screws or bolts. When using the last hardware, it is necessary to make sure that there are no protruding nuts and bolt heads on the surface. For this, hardware is selected with a length slightly less than the thickness of the workpieces to be joined. With a thin drill, according to the diameter of the threaded part of the bolt, through holes are drilled. Then, they take a drill slightly thicker than the diameter of the nut and the head of the hardware and drill small recesses on the finished holes. The result is a bolted connection hidden in the wood.

  

• In the final, you should get a design with eight legs, as in this photo. At this stage, the wood is treated with an antiseptic, and the protruding supports are treated with bituminous mastic.

  

• The box is ready, now we start making a bench, which, when folded, will play the role of a cover for a children’s sandbox. So, we take a board 17,5 cm wide. Its length should be a couple of centimeters more than the width of the box so that the lid can completely close the sandbox. The board is fixed flat with self-tapping screws to the end of the side of one of the sides of the box. In this example, for convenience, we consider the process of manufacturing one shop. Exactly the same design is done on the opposite side of the box. The result is a cover of two folding halves.

  

• Two loops are attached to the fixed board from above with self-tapping screws. At the same time, about 30 cm recede from the edge of the workpiece.

  

• At the next stage, a board of the same size is taken. It is screwed to the hinges with self-tapping screws. It turned out the first folding element of the bench. Now two more loops are fixed to it, only from below.
• Now it’s time for the back of the bench. A board 40 cm wide is fixed to the hinges. The result is a bench of three boards connected by loops from the outside and from the inside.

  

• Two limiters are attached to the back of the back of the bench from the rails. In the unfolded state of the lid, they will rest on the side of the children’s sandbox. Two more limiters are attached to the base of the seat. They will not let the back fall forward, plus they will play the role of handrails.

  

When benches are ready on both sides of the box, the children’s sandbox is set in its place. To do this, the racks are lowered into the prepared holes, after which they are tightly rammed with soil. The pits can be concreted, but in the future it will be difficult to remove the children’s sandbox from the ground.

The video demonstrates the manufacture of a bench cover on a children’s sandbox:

Giving the children’s sandbox an aesthetic look

So, we looked at how to make a sandbox with a folding lid with our own hands. The design is ready, now it needs to be brought to mind. The entire surface of the children’s sandbox with a lid is checked for burrs. This is especially true of benches and the ends of the box. If sharp corners are detected, additional grinding is performed, then these places are again treated with an antiseptic.

To give a children’s sandbox with a lid an aesthetic look and protect the wood from moisture, the structure is painted with oil or acrylic paint. It is advisable to give preference to bright colors to attract the attention of the child.